


Cough Syrup

by Sweetest_Thiam



Series: Sweethearts [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Car Accidents, Divorce, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Lung Cancer, M/M, Mentions of Cancer, Minor Character Death, also not thiam, not thiam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-20 21:29:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18533518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetest_Thiam/pseuds/Sweetest_Thiam
Summary: The past normally stays in the past, but not with all the trauma these two have been through. With that in mind, they think: why not just be screwed up together?-or-Five times their pasts catch up with them and the one time they make their own memory.





	Cough Syrup

**Author's Note:**

> In case you didn't read the tags, this story contains mentions of particularly triggering events like parental neglect, character death, divorce, car crashes, and cancer. Please read safely.

**I - Tara**

May nineteenth had to be one of the hardest days of the year for Theo. It didn't matter how long ago it was or even if it had come up during conversation, but everyone close to him knew to tread lightly. May nineteenth was the day that a piece of Theo was broken and gone, that piece floating somewhere that Theo liked to believe was heaven. Even if he was an atheist, he wanted to at least have the prospect of somewhere better for Tara than the coffin they'd buried her in just four years ago.

It still hurt like a bitch to think about it. Twelve-year old Theo was a simpler boy, but he was forever changed by watching his fifteen-year old sister be lowered into a pit in the ground. Every time he closed his eyes he thought about her, even more than he already did every day. May seventeenth, eighteenth, twentieth, twenty-first, those were never good either. What could you even bring yourself to do when you could only remember the girl you used to be best friends with?

Mason, Tracy, Hayden, Corey, and Josh all knew about it and they stuck with him when he needed the attention and left him alone when he didn't. Coach, the unforgiving and generally angry man he was, gave him time off and if there was a game scheduled that week he wouldn't make him play it. Theo's father let him stay home from school any time he wanted to around that day since he knew they both needed a little time away, and sometimes they spent the day together in silence. It had been like that for three and now four years, no one new coming into the picture much at all. 

But he hadn't told Liam, one of the most significant people in his life right then, so when he didn't show up to school for two days leading up to the nineteenth Liam could only assume that he was sick. His boyfriend was worried about him, and after the first day he had texted Theo to get no response, thinking he was asleep. No one, however, was asleep for forty-eight hours, and Theo had never not responded to his texts before.

On the third day that Theo was out, Liam called. He had no idea the significance of the nineteenth and just wanted to make sure that everything was okay, but he still wasn't prepared that it would be something this big. He called him after school as soon as he got home, and Theo picked up on the last ring. Liam was excited; it would be good to hear Theo's voice again, but this Theo sounded tired and sad. "Hey," was all he said into the phone. "Sorry I didn't reply to your texts. It's been a busy couple of days."

"Are you sick?" Liam asked. Theo paused and said no. "Are you hurt?"

"No."

Liam sighed. Theo wouldn't have skipped school for no reason, he knew how stressed out he got about missing schoolwork. "Are you okay?"

There was silence on the line for a good two seconds, two seconds that Liam waited with held breath. "No."

Liam finally let himself breathe. "Do you need me? I can drive down, wherever you are," he offered, and Theo considered it in his quiet surroundings before breathing out a small 'yes.' That was all Liam needed before he was rushing out to his car, making his way towards Theo's house.

Jonathan's car wasn't in the driveway when he came in, giving Liam an automatic feeling of panic. Did something happen to him? Did he leave? The door was unlocked so he opened it and stepped inside, looking around at the seemingly dead house. All the energy it normally held from the Raekens' laughter was gone and hung in the air like a curse. "Theo?" He called almost softly, going up the stairs from the foyer and toeing through the hallway. 

He heard soft sounds from Theo's room so he pushed the door open lightly, it not even being closed all the way. Theo laid in the middle of his bed, knees bent and body turned towards the side. He seemed to be staring at nothing, a contrast from his normally restless eyes and movement. "Theo?"

Theo raised his head to look at his boyfriend, and that's when Liam saw the evidence of what had happened. Dark circles framing red, puffy eyes, screwed up hair and unsteady breathing. "What happened?" Liam came to lay down next to him and Theo shakily grabbed his hand, pulling him closer so that his own head rested against Liam's chest. 

"It's the nineteenth," he whispered, his voice croaking from not using it. "This is the day my sister died."

"Oh, god," Liam breathed, hugging Theo tight. "Why didn't you tell me about this, I wouldn't have bothered you all those times."

Theo shook his head. "You didn't bother me. I didn't..." Theo sniffed, and Liam realized that he was still on the brink of tears. He held him tightly, arms wrapped around his shoulders even though Theo was bigger than him. "I didn't want to put a burden on you. We've only been going out for a little while, and I thought it was a lot to dump on you."

"Don't say that," Liam willed, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "It's okay. I'm here now if you need me, I promise. And I don't want you to ever feel like you're being a burden."

"I'm sorry for ignoring you," Theo said, his voice muffled in Liam's shoulder. 

"Don't be. When was the last time you slept? Why don't you try, okay? I'll stay here."

When Theo drifted off to sleep, Liam was still there to hold him while he cried and shook, and much to his surprise, he was still there the morning of the twentieth from when he'd fallen asleep at four PM. He hadn't moved, hadn't left, or even spoken a word. Liam was there for him, every step of the way.

 

**II - Brandon Dunbar**

Jenna and Brandon's divorce had been messy, dirty, and one of the worst experiences Liam could have ever went through as a child. His fourth grade self tried to hold onto every scrap of the man he called his father for as long as possible, but when the front door shut and never opened with Brandon on the other side, Liam finally realized the gravity of what was happening.

Far before there was Tyler and David in the picture, there was a happy family of four: Jenna and Brandon and their two sons. On the outside they were perfect, the oldest child in middle school and an athlete and the younger always happily playing in the backyard, but things were slowly starting to fall apart. Liam would never forget the first time he heard yelling coming from the kitchen window his parents forgot to close while he was tossing a tennis ball around. Jase, his older brother, was outside with him and took out one of his earbuds, listening intently and with a look of fear on his face. Jase had heard about what happened when parents fought. From what he had seen of the kids in his own class, they would divorce. They'd move into different houses, and sometimes even the siblings were separated. He didn't want to be separated from Liam, or even think about it, which is why he never told Liam. He kept his little brother safe from harm's way for as long as possible until Liam found out about the concept of divorce on his own time.

Words like "IED" and "Anger" and "Uncontrollable" were often thrown around referring to both Jase and Liam, and the two knew very well that they were the reason their parents were fighting. When Jase had been diagnosed, Jenna had told them both that it was what their father had and that with medication and therapy it could be kept under control, and the same went for Liam when his symptoms popped up about a year later. Jase was easy to control; Liam wasn't. In the end, it was too difficult to say who had won the argument, but it was clear to everyone that Jenna never liked to yell. It was always Brandon to start the fight and he was normally the one to end it with a walkout.

It had to be around the thirtieth time that Liam had heard them yelling at each other that he went to see his mother. She was the one who always stuck around at the kitchen table crying while his father went up to his room or just left the house entirely. "Mommy?" He asked, and Jenna looked up and immediately wiped her eyes. She knew what this was doing to her kids, and she was tired of it. "Are you and Dad going to get a divorce?"

"Of course not," Jenna had said, a weak smile on her face. "We love each other very much. We're just going through a rough patch."

It was one month, three weeks and four days later that Liam realized that love fades and a rough patch can last way longer than their last months of marriage. Brandon walked out the door one day while Liam clung onto his arm, but this time, while Brandon usually came home an hour or so later, he was still gone in the morning.

"Daddy" became "Dad" and then "Dad" became "Brandon" by the time Liam was twelve. He would rather believe he had no dad rather than the one who tore his family apart because of something they couldn't help. He was much happier with David and Tyler, and could have some peace of mind as a sixteen year old now that there wasn't so much screaming around the house.

He was required to visit Brandon at least once a month, which all of his family had said was a good ruling. Jase visited more frequently as he got older, but the stubborn Liam was content to stay put. He missed his dog and he missed some of the things that were in his room in Brandon's house, but he didn't miss Brandon.

It had been a good day when Brandon showed up and ruined it, Theo and Liam sitting on Liam's front porch with some lemonades. The air was getting warmer and they could walk around town for hours until the streetlights went down, but they were just relaxing together on the bench outside tonight. Liam was looking at something Theo was showing him on his phone, but Theo noticed a man walking towards the house. "Li-" he said, elbowing him in the side lightly. Liam snickered and took his earbud out, but his amused expression immediately dropped. 

"Liam," The man said, and Theo looked between the two of them.

"It's not my visiting day and Jase is asleep," Liam cut him off, raising his chin. "Mom is at work and David is at home with Tyler, so I suggest you get back in your car and go unless you have the dog."

Theo bristled and tensed hearing Liam talk to someone that way, because he normally would never do that. "Listen, I want to be a part of your life. Liam, I'm here to talk to  _you_."

"Nothing in my legal rights says I have to listen to you."

Brandon looked between the two. "You know, I would think you would control yourself in front of your friend."

Liam scoffed and raised his eyebrows, a sour smile on his face. "You're full of shit. Come on, Theo, let's go inside." Liam grabbed Theo's hand and started to lead him back towards the front door, but Brandon was determined to talk to him.

"You know, Jase is a lot more forgiving than you."

Liam paused and Theo stopped as well, looking at his boyfriend and then at the man a few feet away. They shared the same blue eyes and their nose and - oh. His stance immediately came to be more defensive when he realized just who he was talking to. "Liam's right. Probably better if you go." Theo put a hand on Liam's back which Brandon's eyes flicked to surprisedly, but he didn't say anything about it.

"This is my  _son_ ," Brandon emphasized incredulously, loud enough that it could be heard from inside. Liam cringed and clenched his teeth. He thought he wouldn't have to hear him raise his voice again, and it sent him right back to when it was all he ever heard. His fists balled and Theo could feel his muscles tensing. Anger and hurt sizzled under his skin and they both knew that he wasn't going to be able to keep it together. 

"What, you want me now that I'm a little better, now that I'm okay in school and don't need to rely on you anymore? Sorry I couldn't be the perfect son like Jase was when I was nine years old and alone when you left Mom and I and took Jase with you!" Liam whipped back around and pointed an accusing finger at his fathers chest, jabbing it into the shirt he was wearing. "I don't give a shit what you want because you are not my dad. You gave up that right seven years ago!"

Liam stormed inside just as David opened the door to see what all the commotion was. "Liam Dunbar-" Brandon started. 

"Fuck you!" Liam pushed past David who was looking at the two remaining men accusingly. Theo's mouth was agape. 

"Can I-" He asked, pointing towards where Liam had gone and run away to, and David nodded and turned back to Brandon. Yelling could be heard between the two as Theo raced upstairs to Liam's room.

He didn't know what he expected to find, maybe wrecked objects or Liam storming around like he had been outside, but all he saw was Liam sitting silently in the chair in the corner. "I can't fucking believe him sometimes," Liam whispered, shaking his head. "A weekend a month is what he agreed to. He doesn't mean shit to me."

"What happened?" Theo asked smally, kneeling down in front of the chair so he could look into Liam's eyes.

"He's an asshole. He fought with my mom all the time because she wanted another baby and..." Liam swallowed past the growing lump in his throat. "And he didn't want to have one because he was afraid they'd be a screwup like me and Jase were. Because that's what I was to him. A screwup."

"How do you know that?" Theo asked in reasoning way, and Liam rolled his eyes, not at him, but at his memories.

"Hearing your father yell at your mother about how much work you are and how they should have never had kids together is kind of a key point," Liam offered with as much humor as possible, shrugging. It didn't take any longer for Theo to get up and wrap Liam in a hug, holding him tightly to his chest.

"If it makes you feel better...I'm really glad your mom and Brandon had you," He said, straying away from saying 'dad.' Liam laughed lightly. Weirdly enough, it did.

 

**III + IV - Letters and Fire**

When Liam's father and mother split, there was hardly any closure for their kids, but for Theo and Tara, there was absolutely nothing. Nothing at all could be said by their mother when she left and nothing could be done for the type of heartbreak they felt when they walked into their parents' room to find that everything that had once belonged to Marie Raeken was gone. All of the clothes out of her dresser were missing, her books gone off the shelf, everything down to her shampoo bottles left a space in the house. Her wedding ring sat on the kitchen counter with a note addressed to their dad, but other than that, it was like she had never existed.

Theo was only little when their mom left, and he had convinced himself that she was just going on a trip and would be back later. He was only four, innocent and sweet, and nothing had ever taught him that families break and people leave. Tara, who was seven, however, understood it and tried to tell Theo that she wasn't coming back.

It took a month before it really hit that Marie Raeken had abandoned them. This was the first time in Theo's life that he knew what heartbreak felt like, like he was suffocating in a thick, airless bag that was held over his head. A child that young should not be able to feel such emotions, but he did.

The Raekens weren't truly happy for a very long time after that, but eventually, Theo, Tara, and Jonathan all adjusted. They were well off with money even without Jonathan's wife in the picture so there weren't a lot of worries there, and they still had their house and the people who planned to stick around. For the time being, it was a happy family. Theo met Mason and Corey when he was nine and then Hayden, Tracy, and Josh when he was eleven, and things were good. Tara was great in school and quite a smart girl for only fourteen, and thankfully, their heartbroken father slowly started to heal himself with the help of the ones around him.

One death and two more broken hearts later, Theo was on the edge of seventeen and living well without a mother. He had a boyfriend who understood him in that aspect and offered his love and support whenever he showed even the shadow of needing it, and he honestly felt that sometimes, he was at his peak. Sure, things could be better: Tara could still be alive and his grades could be a little better, but just like how Liam had adjusted without his dad, he didn't miss his mom. She didn't even cross his mind when he got the mail one day. 

He was alone when he got the letter, the address showing that it came from Vermont, where Theo already had an aversion to because of his mother. She had headed up there, last time they'd known, and he had the sour feeling in his stomach as he carried the stack of bills inside. It was addressed to him, and he wanted to throw up before he even ripped the envelop open.

His mom's handwriting hadn't changed.

He knew that because he had found out that Jonathan kept the goodbye note. She always had this chicken-scratch handwriting that Theo couldn't read until he got contact lenses, and he could still barely see it now. 

As soon as he recognized the handwriting, he knew he couldn't read it. He took a picture of it with his phone in case he wanted to see it later, but nothing could bring him to have the tangible thing in his hands. No fucking way was his mother going to get into his head right now. 

There was a lighter in the bottom drawer of his desk that he had just in case he needed it for anything, and this was exactly the right time for his angry teenage self to use it. His mother's writing didn't deserve to be ripped up and thrown away, it needed to be obliterated. Getting used to having no evidence of her existence was comforting now, and this little piece of paper wasn't about to ruin it. He disconnected his smoke alarm and opened his bedroom window, flicking the lighter to life and holding one corner above it until the edges crinkled and burned black. 

Watching the paper burn was therapeutic in a way it shouldn't be. He stared at it, expressionless, thinking. 

She hadn't been there when he turned five years old. She hadn't been there when his dad quit smoking, even if he had started because of her. She hadn't been there when each of her kids had their first broken bone, Theo his wrist and Tara her ankle. She hadn't been there for the funeral or even sent a card when Tara died. Her daughter was gone and missed while she was somewhere with a new family in Vermont, probably blissfully unaware of the rot she had left behind of a once-happy family.

"Dude!" He was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of Liam's voice. His blue eyes were wide and he could see the reflection of the fire in them, and he looked down at his desk to find that the fire was still going even when the paper was gone. "What the fuck?" He hissed, grabbing a pillow off of Theo's floor and beating the fire with it until it died out. 

"Holy shit," Theo gasped out. "I didn't realize it had gotten that big," he admitted.

"What was that, because I'm assuming you didn't just on a whim decide to burn your desk!" 

Theo bit his tongue. "My mom sent a letter. So I burned it," He said like it was the only thing you would do with a letter. Liam's expression softened. 

"I'm sorry I yelled," he said, but Theo honestly hadn't noticed. "You scared me. Did you read it?"

Theo shook his head. "I have a picture of it on my phone, but I haven't read it yet. You're welcome to it," He said, settling back down in his desk chair with a new numbness and motioning towards his phone that was sitting on his dresser. As much as Liam wanted to know what the letter said, he shook his head. It wasn't his to read. 

"Are you gonna tell your Dad?" He asked, rubbing Theo's shoulder and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. Theo sighed into his comforting touch but shook his head. 

"It would break him. I'm not going to remind him, it's taken so long for him to get over her."

"I understand," Liam said. "You wanna step outside? I think you could use a little fresh air." It was then that Theo noticed the acrid smell of smoke still hanging around his room. He really needed out of it now, and he nodded, letting Liam lead him to the backyard after opening a few more windows.

**V. - Smoke**

Smoke sticks around. 

It might not have been the same smoke as the type that came out of Theo's windows from when he had burned the letter, but it was still lingering in their lives like cancer.

Which is exactly what the doctor thought it was.

Jonathan had stopped smoking years ago after Tara died. It may have been his comfort, but he knew that Tara and Theo hated it when he did, so he had made it his goal to give the nicotine up. Theo was forever scared that something would happen to him because of his past catching up to him, and as he sat in a doctor's office waiting room, he realized that it was.

His father was trying to tell him that there was a chance that it wasn't lung cancer and that he would be okay. He would be back at home in no time, and this little scare would be over. Jonathan always was an optimist, but the same couldn't be said for Theo. He had the habit of seeing the worst in his situation no matter what, so it was hard to believe that they would walk out of this okay.

Jonathan was the only person he had left, and that made accompanying him to his testing even scarier. As if it wasn't already unsettling to walk into a cancer testing place, being one among tens of worried family members, it was worse having no one else with him. If Tara were there, she would be with them, probably whispering reassuring things to them both. She was the one who really got through to him with her optimism in a way that Jonathan never could, but her voice wasn't there to guide him.

He waited while his dad got his scans and tests done, his eyes shut and his brain turned off to his surroundings until it was time to leave. Theo drove in silence since his dad wasn't much in the mood for being behind the wheel, which was how Theo knew that Jonathan was scared too, no matter how he was trying to act otherwise.

Breaking the news to Liam wasn't fun. He was the first one he told, since he didn't want to make people worried, but he deserved to know why he was sad. Liam was the type of person who could keep you entertained and distracted, and it became particularly helpful in that time of need. Whenever Theo slipped into a dark place, he would do something stupid or funny to temporarily get him to stop thinking about the cancer tests.

Liam was pretending to be some kind of dinosaur when Theo's house got a phone call, which Jonathan picked up immediately. Theo stopped laughing when he noticed just how quickly it was picked up, and he got up to grab the landline phone that was in his room. It was wrong to snoop on a call, but...

Theo listened as a woman told his father in the most neutral tone he could that the results came back negative. He couldn't help but let out a 'WHOO' into the phone. 

"Theo, get off this call!" Jonathan grunted, but there was a big bit of relief in his voice. 

"Sorry Dad!" Theo wasn't, in fact, sorry but hung up anyway, turning to Liam, who was watching him intently with a large smile on his face. He held out his arms and Theo jumped into them, kissing him firmly on the mouth while they both laughed. None of them even minded when Jonathan walked in and just gave them both a huge hug, the tension having been lifted off of all three of them.

**VI - Glass**

Theo and Liam had been through a lot with each other since they started dating. Their pasts always seemed to come up to haunt them, but there was one thing that Theo remembered Liam saying on their first date: "Let's be screwed up together?" That did tend to be the case, normally. 

This was far from their first date now, about two and a half months after it. The first of June had gone and past, and soon enough, school would be over. This would probably be their last date before exams and the school year ended, but that didn't mean it wasn't going to be special. Theo wanted to take Liam to a burger place that Jase had showed him, since he had recently learned that Liam had a thing for onion rings and it had good ones. They were both excited as they drove down to the restaurant, since Jase had spoken very highly about it.

"If it sucks, I don't blame you, because Jase gives fake information sometimes. For all we know, he could have sent us to a garbage facility." Theo snorted at the thought and shook his head.

"I'm sure it won't suck. And besides, as long as it's got some onion rings, it'll be good."

"You know, that had the potential to be really romantic before you brought the onion rings into it," Liam commented, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. Theo smiled.

"Yeah, but...onion rings."

Liam loved this guy.

They got to the restaurant, which was in fact a real place, and had a good dinner. One of the waitresses was a cheerleader from their school, but apart from her making some pretty obvious eyes at Theo, it went smoothly. Liam insisted that they split the check and wouldn't let Theo pay without him putting in exactly what he owed until Theo finally allowed him to do it. "Usually the person who asks someone out is the one who pays," Theo reminded, putting his wallet away, but Liam shrugged it off. 

It was getting dark outside by the time they left because they came in late, and Liam hoped he would be able to make curfew. "I had a really good night tonight," Liam said as he started the car, smiling over at Theo, who was putting on his seatbelt. "Thank you."

"No problem. I like hanging out with you," Theo said, leaning over to place a kiss on Liam's lips. "You've got no idea."

"Oh, I think I do," Liam laughed, and Theo smiled. They put on some soft music as they pulled out of the parking lot, about to start making their way back to Theo's house to drop him off. 

The way back was winding and the roads were dark, since there was work being done on the streetlights and there wasn't a lot else to guide the way. Liam's high beams were on, but it only showed a little bit of the road in front of them. There was a reason Liam hated driving when it was dark out, and this was it. He was always afraid something bad would happen if he lost focus for just a second too long. 

"Li?" Theo asked next to him. "You okay?"

"It's dark," Liam said shortly. "I don't like driving in the dark."

"We can pull over and I'll drive, if you want," Theo offered, but Liam shook his head. 

"It's really fine. I just have to make sure I stay focused."

The two drove a few more minutes in a quiet atmosphere, Theo granting Liam's wishes to be left alone and to his own assets while driving. Theo didn't drive all that much so it was no secret that he wasn't entirely sure of how to drive in the dark, which was why he was glad Liam hadn't let him get behind the wheel. He probably would have found some way to crash.

"Fuck!" Liam suddenly yelled and Theo's eyes shot up from the interior floor just in time to see the deer in the middle of the road. Liam's hands gripped the wheel and in a last-ditch attempt to avoid it, they spun off. 

The wheels squeaked and groaned as they skidded across the dark road, Theo barely having any time to react or brace himself for impact. Liam threw his arm across Theo's chest to hold him back and screwed his eyes shut tightly, pressing as hard on the breaks as he could, but it was too late.

Liam's car hit a tree with a resounding  _crack_  that could be heard hundreds of feet away, Liam whimpering and Theo gasping when the car finally hit. The windshield shattered into tiny pieces as a branch flew through it and sent shards of glass flying into the car, landing in glittering spots and sharp blades on the dashboard and the boys inside the car. "Holy shit," Liam breathed, panting, checking himself for injury and finding nothing. Theo was doing the same, finding small cuts and scrapes, but other than that, nothing. "Oh, god, Theo, no!"

Theo was too busy trying to catch his breath to understand what Liam was talking about, but his boyfriend had tears streaming down his cheeks and he suddenly realized that his face hurt. While he was used to little things happening to his arms and legs, he hadn't felt something that burned that bad. "I'm so fucking sorry, Theo, I didn't mean to-" Liam apologized frantically as Theo raised a hand to touch what was causing the pain. There was a thick shard of window pane in his left cheekbone and the lightest tap sent him into a cursing fit. 

"It's not your fault, stop," he hissed as Liam cried. "Call David, call anyone." 

Liam's head was against the wheel and he was starting to not be able to breathe. He'd wrecked his car and his and Theo's blood was all over the floor. He had hurt Theo. "Liam! Liam, it's okay, I'm okay!" Theo assured him, rubbing his back although the shimmering pieces of almost microscopic glass were still in the back of his hand. "Don't panic, okay? It's gonna be alright, I promise!"

"I'm sorry, I'm s - I'm sorry," Liam repeated over and over again, and it became clear to Theo that they weren't going to get anywhere like that, so he grabbed Liam's phone out of his pocket and looked in his contacts. He scrolled past a few until he got to the one named David, pressing on it and waiting for Liam's stepdad to pick up. 

David answered the phone on the second ring, much to Theo's relief. "Liam? Aren't you on a date?"

"No, no, it's Theo," He said, trying to regain any amount of composure in his voice and realizing just how wrecked he sounded. "Listen, David, we got into an accident, and we're both okay, but Liam's freaking out and I don't know what to do-"

"You what?" David shot, his tone immediately anxious. "Where are you? Theo, where are you? What happened to Liam, is he okay, are you okay?"

"David, we're both fine, it's just some broken glass, but he's crying and I didn't know what else to do-" Theo's voice broke and he swallowed down tears, looking around for a street sign. "We're on the long stretch between Hamilton and Blackberry. We hit a tree."

"Shit, Theo! Do you need an ambulance?" He asked.

"No, we're not that hurt, but I've got a piece of glass right below my eye and Liam's bleeding." Liam sobbed next to him. 

"I'm sending an ambulance, you sound like you're freaking out too," David muttered urgently. "I'll call his mother, you call your father and let him know to meet you at the hospital, okay? Please try and calm Liam down for me," he instructed as calmly as possible, and Theo hung onto every word.

The call with his dad was a lot less calm, lots of yelling and crying from the older man, demanding to know exactly where he should be going to meet them at the hospital and asking a million times if they were okay. He had good reason; he had already lost one of his children. Theo was all he had left, and they both knew that if something happened to him they'd both be done for.

Theo managed to get Liam out of the wrecked car, standing on jellylike limbs as he pulled Liam away to sit in the street. While he could barely stand without falling, Liam couldn't bring himself to walk at all, almost falling straight out as soon as Theo undid his seatbelt. The ground was slightly wet from nighttime dew but neither had any mind to think about it, their breaths bated and shaky from the jolt. "The ambulance is coming, baby. They're gonna take you to see David, we're gonna get you fixed up."

"I could have killed you," Liam whispered, his eyes unblinking and wide. He balled his fist into Theo's shirt and pulled himself close to his chest. "I did this, I'm so fucking sorry-"

"Stop it. I can hear the sirens, listen."

\---

The cuts in Liam's arms and chest were doused with disinfectant and alcohol for the most part, leaving him a stinging, writhing mess on the table, but his thoughts were only on Theo. He'd hurt Theo, caused him to bleed and cry as they took the glass out of his face. The cut was deep and from the murmurs he'd heard from Jonathan and David, they were giving him stitches for it. They wouldn't let him see him.

Even if the injury wasn't life-threatening, Liam couldn't help but want to throw up. One spare centimeter upwards and Theo could have been blinded for the rest of his life. He imagined that large glass piece piercing his perfect green iris and really came close to puking, swallowing down the bile and guilt rising in his throat. 

He should have let Theo drive the car. If Theo drove, he wouldn't have been going so quick in an attempt to get home faster like the idiot he was. They could have missed that deer completely and been back at Theo's house by now, kissing him goodbye on the doorstep. Now, Theo was in another room while Liam waited in tense silence for someone to tell him what was happening.

He hoped Theo wasn't angry at him, even though he had every right to be. This could have ruined his life, his future, and even if it didn't, he had still been harmed and it was Liam's fault. He could have just slammed on the breaks and let the deer run, but his were the hands to turn the wheel that far to the left. If only he had just let Theo drive the goddamn car-

"I want to see him!" He heard and his head shot up. Theo. "David, David, please, let me? I don't want him to think I'm mad at him!"

"Are you?" David asked, and Liam looked out of the small window of his room. He could see Theo shake his head and he caught a glimpse of the bandage over his cut. He had some on his ams, but god...it was the one on that beautiful face that got to him the most.

The door opened slowly and Theo came in, walking at a normal pace at first and then speeding up to meet Liam in the middle. Liam just about cried with relief when he felt Theo's comforting arms around him, gripping onto him just as desperately as Liam was. "I'm so glad you're okay," Theo breathed, not letting Liam go. Their lips met in a kiss they normally wouldn't share in public, but at this point, neither one really cared about what people saw. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, but Theo..." Liam raised a hand to touch right below Theo's bandage, a featherlight graze so he wouldn't hurt him. "I'm so sorry."

"Like I said to David and my dad. It was an accident."

"I should have let you drive," Liam sighed, resting his head against Theo's chest as he held him. 

"Liam, I've never hit a deer before either. Who knows what I would have done? Maybe if I had driven, we would have gotten ourselves killed, but that's not what's important right now. The important thing is that we're both okay. Maybe you're going to have to get some rides from Jase while your car gets...well, your car's dead, but we're still alive, and we're still together."

For the first time since the crash, Liam smiled, and Theo could feel it against his shirt. This felt like the first real test of their relationship, something happening together. The past was in the past, but the present and future was what really mattered.

And hey, if they got into a few more altercations in the future, who was to say how strong they'd come out of it? These two were nothing short of bulletproof when it came to each other, and Theo doubted that anything could stand in their way.


End file.
